Latest news with #DowntownCommunityRevitalizationLevy
Global News
14-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
City reveals new plan for downtown Edmonton as part of revitalization efforts
The City of Edmonton is now proposing its new Downtown Action Plan as part of the city's latest initiative to revitalize the downtown core. The hope is that it would achieve the city's goals of increasing property values, growing the number of people living downtown, reducing commercial vacancy and attracting more workers, students, and visitors to downtown. 'Our downtown is a place where commerce, diversity, and creativity flourish. It's a place for everyone to gather to celebrate, share ideas, learn, trade and innovate,' Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said in a statement. 'The Action Plan is our road map to unlocking downtown's full potential. It was built with input from our passionate community partners and, together, we will make meaningful progress in our downtown.' According to the city, this five-year plan builds on existing work, including the Downtown Vibrancy strategy. Story continues below advertisement Eight actions were outlined in this plan and includes suggestions such as upgrading infrastructure (roads, sidewalks, lighting, street furniture, landscaping), exploring housing projects, increasing public amenities and programming, increasing safer public and private spaces, and expanding entertainment districts. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The Downtown Action Plan comes with a price tag of approximately $553 million. According to a statement, roughly $511 million is leveraged through the Downtown Community Revitalization Levy, with roughly $440 million contingent on the proposed extension which hasn't officially been approved. Puneeta McBryan, executive director of the downtown business association, says she received overwhelming positive feedback from the introduction of last summer's entertainment district along Rice Howard Way. 'To see just the very European-style experience on the street that the entertainment district brings. You can go and grab a beer or a glass of wine from a restaurant and stroll outside and have some gelato with your wine on the street. It felt very different and it's the kind of experience people are looking for,' McBryan told Global News. Currently, an entertainment district lies between 101 and 100 streets on Rice Howard Way. The proposed expansion would include businesses along 100A Street between 102 Avenue and Jasper Avenue, as well as a few shops facing 100 Street. There are also plans to create another entertainment district along 104 Street between 104 Avenue and Jasper Avenue. Story continues below advertisement For events that already take place on 104 Street such as the Downtown Farmers' Market and Winterval, McBryan says it allows them to include the businesses along the path. 'Most events when we do street closures, if you want to sell alcohol, you have to set up your own beer garden and that takes business away from restaurants already there,' she explained. There are some community groups, such as the Alberta Avenue Business Association, that question why the focus is solely on downtown. 'The last 10-year plan gave us a result of losing our tax base in downtown. Why should we keep bidding on a horse that is dead?' executive director Erick Estrada said. 'I think there is a lot more than downtown that we have to offer in Edmonton, and they're not the only ones who could benefit from a more holistic approach. I think there are a few other areas that each district can identify as their economic priority, and we aren't looking at that,' he added. The plan was unanimously approved in Tuesday's Urban Planning Committee at council, and will be discussed in a future city council meeting.
CBC
07-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Province, city, Oilers ownership group teaming up on event park, new Ice District housing
The province, the City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Oilers ownership group are nearing an agreement that would pay for an event park beside Rogers Place and thousands of new housing units north of Ice District. The money would also pay for the demolition of the Coliseum, the Oilers former home arena. The Alberta government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the city and OEG Sports and Entertainment, signalling its willingness to move ahead with the project while negotiations on the deal continue. "I'm very confident that we will [reach an agreement]," Premier Danielle Smith said Friday at a news conference at the fan park in Ice District. "Everyone involved understands the benefits of revitalizing downtown Edmonton and the land nearby. All of this work will lead to better public safety, more affordable housing and more space for fun." The three major projects — a new event park beside Rogers Place, 2,500 new housing units in the Village at Ice District, and demolishing the Coliseum and improving the Exhibition Lands area — are expected to cost a combined $408.2 million. The memorandum of understanding says the event park would cost about $250 million and the housing another $68 million. Another $90 million would be earmarked for tearing down the Coliseum and improving the Exhibition Lands area. Municipal officials in Edmonton were thrilled to learn last week that the provincial budget included $106 million over three years for those projects. But according to government news releases and officials who spoke at Friday's news conference, if the budget passes the legislature and the three parties reach a deal before the end of August, the provincial government will spend $183.4 million on the projects — about 40 per cent of the total cost. The vast majority of the provincial dollars would be in grants, but some would come through the Edmonton Capital City Downtown Community Revitalization Levy. Community revitalization levies let municipalities borrow against future property tax revenues to help pay for infrastructure development. The City of Edmonton would cover another third of the overall cost, paying $137.8 million total, mostly through the levy, according to a news release. OEG Sports and Entertainment would pay $87 million total for the event park and Ice District housing. The company is not contributing to the Coliseum's demolition, the release said. "This memorandum of understanding reinforces our collective desire to build a thriving downtown," Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said during the news conference. "Our downtown is a major economic driver, but it is also a neighbourhood that deserves to be an affordable and amenity-rich community." A map and conceptual images show the housing will be built over several city blocks, just north of the arena, and feature a green space. The event park will feature several hockey rinks and a stage for performers, all under a canopy, images show. The developments are part of Phase 2 of OEG's Ice District development, which aims to attract people to the area every day year-round, not just for hockey games and concerts, said Tim Shipton, OEG's executive vice-president of external affairs. The housing will include different types of units to meet the needs of Edmonton's growing population, Shipton said.
